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| Sinclair Clark | |
|---|---|
 Sinclair Clark (ca. 1985) | |
| Born | Sinclair Nathaniel Clark January 31, 1902 Barbados, West Indies |
| Died | May 14, 1999 Bronx, New York |
| Occupation | Taxidermist |
| Known for | Taxidermy tanning |
| Spouse | Marie Foster Clark (1904 - 1971) |
Sinclair Nathaniel Clark (January 31, 1902, Barbados, West Indies - May 14, 1999, Bronx, New York) was a legendary taxidermy tanner, known throughout that industry for his expertise in tanning animal skins to give them the suppleness that taxidermists require to create lifelike, long-lasting displays. Tanning is the process of treating animal skins and hides for display and preservation. Because tanning is a behind-the-scenes operation of taxidermy, tanners are seldom known outside the industry.
Work
Clark’s work is on view in museums all over the world; his most famous work is "Henry," the African Bush elephant which has been displayed in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. since 1959. He also tanned the skin of the famous racehorse Phar Lap, which has been on permanent display in the Museums Victoria in Melbourne, Australia since January 1933.
Some years after his 1924 emigration from Barbados to the United States through New York City's Ellis Island, Sinclair Clark learned tanning from taxidermist James L. Clark (no relation) —who himself had learned from Carl Akeley, considered to be the “father of modern taxidermy.” Akeley, whom Sinclair Clark had met his very first week of work at James L. Clark’s taxidermy studio, had recently proposed that the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) build a Hall of African Mammals, and James Clark had begun working with Akeley on that project. As a result, it was Sinclair Clark who tanned the skins of the majority of the large mammals exhibited in the over 29 habitat dioramas of that hall, as well as of the original four of the herd of eight African elephants that comprise the hall's main exhibit. In rare archival footage, Sinclair Clark can be seen at work in the museum's 1927 film, "Modern Taxidermy: Mounting Indian Elephants for the American Museum of Natural History."
Akeley requested that Sinclair Clark accompany him on his 1926 African safari, but Sinclair’s mother forbade it. It turned out to be Akeley’s last safari; during the trip, he became ill and died in the Belgian Congo. In 1936, his proposed Hall of African Mammals opened in the American Museum of Natural History and was named The Akeley Hall of African Mammals in his honor.
An independent contractor, during his career Sinclair Clark worked with noted taxidermists, including Louis Paul Jonas of the world-famous Jonas Bros. Taxidermy Studio, which since 1908 has specialized in museum-quality taxidermy. (Stephen I. Horn, who succeeded co-founder John Jonas there, hired Sinclair Clark to run the Jonas Bros. tannery). And at the American Museum of Natural History, his tanning methods became the standard for all diorama animal exhibits, as noted in the project blog of the museum's Natural Science Conservation lab:
When considering the production and acquisition of historical taxidermy at the Museum, particularly for use in dioramas, the period of interest spans from approximately 1925 to 1965. Though we do not have a complete understanding of all the tanning methods in use at, and for, the Museum during this 40-year time frame, we were able to partner with a local tanner trained by Sinclair Clark, a renowned tanner who was on staff at the Museum around 1924–1927. Clark later set up tanneries in other locations, but maintained his relationship with the Museum tannery over a long period of time.
In general terms, Clark’s method involves the following:
The skin is salted to remove moisture and stabilize it prior to tanning
Tanning begins with rehydration in a saltwater bath until the skin is soft and pliable
It is next soaked in an acid pickle until swollen, and then shaved down on a fleshing machine or by hand
The skin is returned to the pickle, and, if needed, shaved again
The skin is then removed from the pickle and the acid is neutralized
Warmed oil is applied either by hand or with a “kicking” machine
The skin is left to sit overnight or for one day before being tumbled in hardwood sawdust until dry and soft.
Awards
Throughout his career, Sinclair Clark mentored other taxidermists and helped them set up their studios. Following his death, the National Taxidermists Association created an annual award in his name—The Sinclair Clark Memorial Award—for excellence in taxidermy.
On July 24, 2021, during the 2021 National Taxidermists Association’s awards banquet, Sinclair Clark was officially inducted into the Taxidermy Hall of Fame (THOF) as an “historical nominee,” defined by the THOF as those recognized for their contributions to taxidermy 50 years before the current year election date.
He is the first black man to be so honored.
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Sinclair Clark inspecting his taxidermy tanning work on "Henry," the African elephant, in the rotunda of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, ca. 1959.
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Sinclair Clark at work as manager of the tannery at Jonas Bros. Taxidermy Studio, Mount Vernon, NY, 1980.
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Sinclair Clark with taxidermied mammal
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Sinclair Clark with Joe Jonas, attending a convention of the National Taxidermists Association (date unknown)
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A "Sinclair Clark Memorial Award for Expertise in Creating Life Like Taxidermy".
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Taxidermy Hall of Fame plaque honoring Sinclair Clark, 2021 inductee
References
- Phillips, Archie; Phillips, Bubba (1983). How To Mount Lifesize Animals. Birmingham, Alabama: Archie Phillips. pp. 318–319.
An Interview With Sinclair Clark, February 22, 1982. AUTHOR: Tell me some of the interesting things that have happened to you in the tanning business. CLARK: It would take a year to listen to me! But let me see, the most important thing I've done is the elephant in the Smithsonian. It came to us in bad shape, it was the largest one to come out of Africa. It weighed five to six tons. I tanned the hide in Virginia and shipped it back to the museum. I had an armature and tried the skin on it. The armature was much larger than the skin. It was as much as eight inches too big in some places. AUTHOR: How did you make it fit? CLARK: I took the pieces of the skin and shaved them as thin as I could. This gave more stretch to the skin. They were able able to stretch it over the armature and make it fit.
- Winfrey, Lee (December 19, 1963). "His Final Job a Towering Success". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
Over here, a tanner named Sinclair Clark set to work on the skin. In a job that took all day, he sawed the inch-thick hide into three pieces... In a second job that took almost a year, Clark tanned the hide, softened it so it would be pliable enough to work with.
- ^ Interviews with John Janelli, former president of the National Taxidermists Association and protégé of Sinclair Clark.
- "Taxidermied Mount - Phar Lap, 1932 Equus caballus". Museums Victoria.
- Phillips, Archie; Phillips, Bubba (1983). How to Mount Lifesize Animals. Birmingham, Alabama: Archie Phillips. p. 317.
AUTHOR: Sinclair, tell us how you got started in the tanning business. CLARK: I started working with James L. Clark at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. AUTHOR: Did you start in the tannery? CLARK: Yes, I went to his studio on Whitlock Avenue in New York. I learned tanning all summer long. AUTHOR: What did James L. Clark teach you to mount there? CLARK: Well, just about every species. He was one of the largest taxidermists in the country.
- Phillips, Archie; Phillips, Bubba (1983). How To Mount Lifesize Animals. Birmingham, Alabama: Archie Phillips. p. 317.
An Interview With Sinclair Clark, February 22, 1982. CLARK: I met Mr. Akeley my very first week at Mr. Clark's studio; he was on his way to Africa. It was a government trip.
- Quinn, Stephen (2006). Windows on Nature: The Great Habitat Dioramas of the American Museum of Natural History. New York, NY: Abrams. p. 19. ISBN 9780810959408.
- "Found In The Archives: 'Modern' Elephant Taxidermy". NPR.
- "Carl Akeley Dead in Central Africa; Was Hunting Wild Animals for the American Museum When Overtaken By Death". The New York Times. December 1, 1926. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- "History | Jonas Brothers Studios of NY". Jonas Brothers Taxidermy.
Mr. Horn added a complete, custom tannery to the facility in Mt. Vernon and hired the talents of Mr. Sinclair Clark, the legendary tanner from the Museum of Natural History in New York, to run the tannery.
- "In Their True Colors: Research Supporting the Preservation and Conservation of Taxidermy and Related Materials" (blog). July 6, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- "Taxidermy Hall of Fame Inductees: Sinclair Clark". Taxidermy Hall of Fame. 13 August 2021.